• Mushrooms should be treated as a delicate fresh product, comparable to shellfish. It is much more common to get sick from bad specimens of edible species than to actually get mushroom poisoning.
• Only pick mushrooms that you are sure to recognize as edible.
• Only take mushrooms that feel firm and healthy.
• Do not put mushrooms in a plastic bag because bacteria easily develop in such a dense environment.
• Cut out anything that is insect-infested (the “maggot”).
• Clean out all debris and cook the mushrooms the same day.
Source: National Museum of Natural History.